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<title>in pursuing something salvageable by crimsongothic</title>
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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26964478">in pursuing something salvageable</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/crimsongothic/pseuds/crimsongothic'>crimsongothic</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>October Writing Challenge 2020 [11]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Halloween Movies - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anxiety, Books, Driving, Gen, Halloween, Mental Institutions, Movie: Halloween (2007), Muteness, Nervousness, Questioning, Reading, Road Trips, Travel</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 20:02:48</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,149</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26964478</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/crimsongothic/pseuds/crimsongothic</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>despite the long drive, laurie makes the trip when she's able</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Michael Myers &amp; Laurie Strode</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>October Writing Challenge 2020 [11]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1948126</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>28</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>in pursuing something salvageable</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Day 11: Travel</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The sky is just teetering on the edge of rain as Laurie drives to visit Michael. The fog is thick, she’s only able to look at the line on the side of the road for guidance. Even then, sometimes she finds herself drifting out of consciousness, letting her brain take over. The weather today seems fitting.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Something clicks in her brain, seeing the slick road. They won’t be able to go outside today. It was a privilege given to him only last visit. It shouldn’t matter too much, she had seen him many times within the halls of Smith’s Grove Sanitarium. In their garden, she can breathe better. It’s freeing in a way.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Laurie is entering her second hour of driving, which means the majority of it is over. She’ll be there in about thirty minutes, the signal is an old windmill. It’s always at this point that her stomach starts to turn. It’s not as if she gains much from seeing him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>In the beginning, Loomis had tried to convince her that seeing Michael would be beneficial to the both of them. Stupidly enough, she had believed him. Maybe it was helping Michael. After all, his mental health was the only one Loomis had ever cared about. Laurie knows she could stop at any time, Loomis always makes up excuses now as to why he’s out of town. Each trip is depressing. And yet every Sunday, there she is, racking up mileage to see evil incarnate. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Some days Laurie doesn’t understand how she’s related to him. Other days it’s like looking in a mirror. There are all these little mannerisms, that she only knows of in herself, and that she now shares with him. Loomis had been the first to comment upon it. Laurie had assumed Michael was just copying her, but apparently they were small things he had been doing his entire life. It should be impossible, they barely shared a childhood. He’s a big man, towering over anyone around him. Laurie is, well, Laurie. It’s a wonder they act so similar.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She pulls over for a moment, bolting out of her car. She pulls back her hair over some bushes, but nothing comes out. The air is warm, too warm for October. It makes her sick, not well enough she supposes. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It’s Halloween. Loomis had called her a month or so ago, asking her to come that day. Said it would be good for them to be together in a safe place for the anniversary. Under the impression that he’d finally be there, Laurie agreed. She later found out he would be on his book tour. She’s not surprised, only a little scared.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She hasn’t been afraid of Michael for a while now. Every night this month she’s had dreams though, none of them pleasant. He doesn’t hurt her physically, and she does the same by not hurting him emotionally. At least she thinks that’s how their relationship works, it’s hard to tell with his silence. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Laurie pulls up to the sanitarium, putting her car in park and just sitting there for a moment. The place is a ghost town, minus the freedom for the patients to leave. The staff is limited, and most of those kept there had been moved after the slaughter that Michael had committed last year. Laurie doesn’t know why any staff members stayed, she doesn’t know why she keeps coming back. Thunder cracks in the distance, and fear of getting caught in the rain overtakes her worry of going inside. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The staff lets her in right away, she doesn’t need to show ID. If someone told her she was the only visitor this place ever got, she’d believe it right away. She makes her way down a corridor. Multiple lights are broken, Laurie thinks she sees bloodstains, no doubt caused by her brother.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A guard lets her into the cafeteria, moments later another brings in Michael. The chains around his wrists and ankles aren’t necessary, but the hospital deems them so. He won’t hurt Laurie. One year ago, when they met, she had accepted his picture. Upon realization of what it meant she had freaked out, even more than she had before she had noticed him in the room with her. She didn’t attack him, no, but he must’ve been upset with her reaction. Despite all that, when the cops stormed the basement, he shielded her from their gunfire. It was his first instinct. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The guard walks him to the side of the table opposite of Laurie. He refuses to sit though, circling it to her side. When Loomis had first brought her here the siblings had been in the same position, with the doctor across from them. Even without him there, it felt wrong to change things. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Usually she’ll read to him. It’s not like they can hold a conversation, and he seems to enjoy listening to whatever she brings in. Laurie hopes she’s correct in that assumption. She reads whatever has been assigned for her English class. It’s nice to hear the words out loud, she wouldn’t think to do it at home. Big brother Michael Myers helping his little sister with her homework, there’s one for the papers. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Today though, she has a different type of book. Laurie pulls Loomis’ work out of her small backpack. The lady checking bags at the door had shook her head when she saw it, the doctor’s reputation around here was not a good one. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He asked me to give you this.” Laurie tells him, handing him the novel based on himself. She herself had objected, calling when she got it in the mail with his note. It must be triggering in some capacity. He assured her that Michael wouldn’t read it, at least while she was there. There were enough pictures for them to look at together. Begrudgingly, she conceded. She was just clay in the doctor’s hands, too numb to say no to anything he asked of her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Michael opens the book. Like Loomis had predicted, he flips through it, searching for something simple to look at. He settles on one of their mother. It’s a family portrait, cropped to only her face, though only Michael and Loomis probably know that. She’s pretty in it though. Laurie smiles, an action rare in this place. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Laurie puts her hand on Michael’s, where his own is still resting on the book. He tenses up in the slightest, she’s never been close enough for contact before. Laurie herself doesn’t know where the courage comes from, but here she is.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Michael, what am I doing here?” It’s not fair to ask him, she knows. That’s a question for herself. Being around him more might hold the answer. Maybe that’s why she keeps coming back here. That, or she’s too fucked up to do any different. Either way, she knows where she'll be next week. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>i hope you enjoyed! kudos and comments are always appreciated, feedback makes my day!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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